Much confusion surrounding an early return to the polls came to an end Thursday as a third national decree to dissolve Parliament submitted by the outgoing Romeo-Marlin Cabinet was ratified by Governor Eugene Holiday with immediate effect. Nomination Day will be November 21 and Election Day January 9, while the next legislature is to take office on February 10.
It came down to infringing on terms in either the Constitution or the Electoral Ordinance. The former may be of a higher legal hierarchy, but the latter are crucial to responsibly prepare and organise the vote.
There was also the issue of not allowing new or existing deregistered parties to be on the ballot because the deadline for such in the Law on Registration and Finances of Political Parties had already passed. This restricting of passive voting rights could be considered a violation of international treaties.
So, the choice was made to deviate from the 90-day limit in the Constitution between the dissolution decree and the installation of a newly elected Parliament, which the governor said can only be done “under exceptional circumstances” like the present. Other than prolonging the lifespan of an interim cabinet being formed by NA leader Silveria Jacobs for about six weeks, this has no major consequences.
That extra time can be used to synchronise the conflicting terms in question as one of the tasks given the “formateur” by the governor. During Thursday’s parliamentary debate on these latest developments practically everyone who spoke agreed this should be done soonest.
The most practical solution would appear to be simply adopting the current scenario by formally extending the period between the dissolution decree and the sitting of a new legislature from three to at least four months. That way there is no need to tinker with the timeframes governing the functioning of the Central Voting Bureau (CVB) and the Electoral Council.
After all this, it also seems less likely that the interim cabinet once appointed would try to delay the early election even more as happened in the past. Parliament President William Marlin perhaps summarised it best by saying that while not in favour of going back to the polls again, he was personally glad there is clarity at last.
